Day: June 9, 2017

I have never felt uncomfortable talking in public or doing readings. I was afraid my cold would do me in, my voice is still weak,  but the sight of 50 people sitting in front of me in a beautiful vast hall – the Memorial Music Hall of Wilmington, Vt. – stirred me, as it always does.

I didn’t cough once and my voice held out. It was a very find book night, always makes me feel like a writer.

Standing behind the podium in a beautiful pace like that, I felt I was at home, on top of the world, just where I belong.

I don’t know why I feel that way, but I always have. I was sick and Maria was tired, but we made the beautiful drive across Southern   Vermont to the brave and beautiful town of Wilmington, ravaged by Hurricane Irene but so beautiful and booming now the scars are no longer visible.

The road back was dark, peaceful, we were both quiet and tired.

This music hall was built in 1901 and is being lovingly restored. Alice made me some tea with honey for my throat and Red fulfilled his just reputation for working a book crowd. That boy sells a lot of books.

The audience was engaged, the questions many and thoughtful. I talked about dogs, elephants, the New York Carriage horses, donkeys and sheep.

It was late when we left, and dark but we made a beeline for Billy T’s Northside Dairy Bar in Bennington, a bout 40 minutes from Wilmington, we buzzed along mountains and hills to get there by 10 p.m., and we made it with a couple of minutes to spare. We both love ice cream (I have a small cup) and it was a sweet and perfect way to cap off the night. Billy T’s is our favorite ice cream place.

I love riding in the car with Maria, talking about the evening (she sold a bunch of art from blog followers who came to the reading and saw her videos.)

It is late now, but I can’t sleep if I don’t take care of the blog.

n the morning, up early to finish preparations for the Open House. Anne, our bookkeeper is coming over with two baby kittens looking for homes, we hope they find them here. The Risse soccer team is coming to visit and hopefully, sing. Red and Fate and I will work the sheep together almost on the hour. Then the kids are going to lunch at the New Round House Cafe, lunch on Bedlam Farm.

A van from the Mansion is coming with five or six of the residents, they are honored guests. Ed Gulley is coming with Silly Sally, his sweet cow. Ken Norman, the farrier, is coming to trim the hooves of the donkeys.

Two friends, Cathy Stewart and Gail Peck are coming to help me and Maria, Cathy is a brilliant organizer, she will help me figure out what to do and when, and she threatens to make me get some rest. That is absolutely not possible at an Open House. I’ll just have to pace myself.

I will be signing copies of “Talking To Animals” and talking about the book. Maria is selling a beautiful range of original and affordable art, including some Red potholders.

The Open  Houses are important to us, they define who we are, and mark the evolution of our lives together. Glad to be home, better get off to bed. It was a wonderful night in Wilmington.

We are very excited about tomorrow and Sunday.

Three goddesses came to the farm on  Friday to say hello as they arrived in Cambridge and headed out to various inns and B&B’s. These are three beautiful, strong and gifted friends, and I was very happy to see them. Donna, on the left, is a musician from New Jersey, Susan Popper and Deb Glessner are talented writers and photographers.

They are all members of the Facebook Group, the Creative Group at Bedlam Farm and they are among the best people I know in the world. We started a tradition a few years ago of members of the group coming by to say hello on Friday afternoons, we get a chance to talk and spend some time together.

Deb is an artist on many levels, her jewelry and several of her award-winning photographs are for sale in the studio

We were all so happy to see each other, and they all got to see some of Maria’s art as she scrambled around her studio. This Open  House has a wonderful feel to it – Saturday and Sunday, ll to 4 p.m. – and this was a perfect to start, for me and for Maria. I love these women, they are goddesses, one and all.

We are scrambling madly for the Open House. I got up early to move the back lawn – with all of the rain the grass is sprouting up every day. The forecast is good,  warm-ish but not hot, cloudy but little or no rain. Some friends from the Creative Group At Bedlam Farm are coming to the farm this afternoon, and they are precious friends and Maria and I are excited to see them.

They are coming early to hang out and see the animals. Sort of an annual tradition.

We are moving stuff around, hauling out the art and labeling it, scouring the ground for debris, getting bottles of water. Tomorrow, the RISSE Soccer Team is coming to visit, sing and have lunch at the New Round House Cafe.

I have a surprise for them. A van from the Mansion is coming, Ed Gulley is bringing Silly Sally, the cow, Red and Fate are tuning up their herding moves, we got salad to eat for the next few days, and I have a wonderful pal, Cathy Stewart, coming up from New York City to help me manage the traffic and crowds and books an schedule.

The Open Houses have evolved into a quiet, low-key nourishing thing. We are happy to do them, but there are a million things to work out, including my imminent run to the chiropractor, my back is complaining already.

Maria is holed up in her studio making labels, moving things around, getting organized. This is an important weekend for her, and I am never more proud of her than when I see all of her gorgeous art – hers and others – all present so beautifully in the studio. Lots of people are asking if we can stream or broadcast the Open House on the blog, but I don’t feel good about that, but we will share it will you all as best we can.

Much love to you.

The back porch in Spring is another gallery for me, Maria is curating yet another space. I love the feel of this basket and the mix of colors from my Russian Petzval lens..How fun.

I do not tell other people what to do, about life or getting a dog, I do share what I do and I hope it is helpful.

I believe each of us needs to be his or her own guru, I am hardly infallible or all-knowing, as is obvious. What works for me may not work for you or be relevant in any way. You and I are different, just like our fingerprints or DNA.

There is no one way to get a dog, and no one way to think about getting a dog. My wish for you (and for me) is that we think for ourselves. So many good options, I never shut myself off from any of them.

Here are some of the questions I ask when I think of getting a dog:

1. Why do I want a dog? What is my need for another dog right now?
2. There are so many different kinds of dogs – big ones, small ones, Northern dogs, Caribbean dogs, Southern dogs, mutts and bred dogs, rescues and shelter  dogs, mellow dogs and frantic dogs. Which one appeals to me, and why? If I close my eyes, can I picture our life together?
3. What is the best place for me to find a dog? What makes me the most comfortable this time? Rescue? Breeder? Shelter? Friend or neighbor? I always get the dog I want to have, not the dog somebody else wants me to have. There are people in the world are just meant to rescue a need animal and bring it home, and are brilliant at it. A beautiful thing. There are people who have special needs and desires for their life with a dog and they may need to explore other choices, it is just as simple as that.
4. There is no one way.
5. Do I have the time and resources to care for a dog? Places to walk and exercise them, the time to care for them and get to know them, the money to pay for their health care and food? Dogs used to be free or cheap,  now they are expensive, even from shelters.
6. What can I learn about the dog? The breed characteristics if it’s a purebred or known mix. Any history of aggression? Food protectiveness? Unease around children? If possible, what was the mother like? The father? Any known health problems in the line? Cancer, bone and hip  issues?
7. What can I learn about me from this dog? How can this dog help me to be a better human? More patient, open, a better listener, a more loving human. Dogs are never about hating humans for me, quite they opposite. They have taught me how to love in so many ways.
8. How can I empower myself to get the dog I really want and not be cowed or pressure by the armies of know-it-alls that feed off of the animal world and social media? My own response is to be fully open about my choices, to trust people with training and expertise, to follow my heart. I never hide my decisions or thinking, even when I know some people will not like it.
9. I am quite prepared to take heat for my choices, it make me stronger and clearer.  If you’re not running for mayor, it really doesn’t matter what people say on Facebook or Twitter.
10. Can I remember to focus on what the dog needs, and not what I need? Can I understand dogs in a wise and mystical way?

Only once in my life have I gotten a dog without knowing anything about it, and it worked out well. It was not possible to do therapy work or other kinds of public work, there was too much about the dog I didn’t know. Lots of unknowable rescues make wonderful therapy dogs, I have seen many.

Getting a dog impulsively, or as a moral statement, or to feel better about myself  is not my preferred path. I ask a lot of my dogs and bring them a lot of places. I need to absolutely trust them and know where they came from.

When I heard about Leroy, I called my vet, asked about her experiences with the breed, e-mailed two breeders I have worked with, talked to three BT owners about their experiences, and then went online to study the breed and its characteristics. I don’t care to be surprised by a dog, to learn what the dog is really like after it comes to me.

I saw the breed characteristics, and knew this is a highly regarded therapy dog breed. Small, light, affectionate, happy to be held if socialized. Aggression in this breed is very rarely, especially among dogs that are well-bred.

That helped me decide. I talked with Maria, I said she had to be 100 per cent on board, and she was. My family rule is this: anyone in the family has veto power when it comes to bringing a live animal in the house. If somebody doesn’t want it, no questions asked, it doesn’t come.

Dogs have enough trouble without being resented. Once I get a picture in my mind of the dog I want, I go for it. I don’t care what other people say to me, or urge me to do or not to do. I want my dog. But this is after I do my homework, not before. This is important, because I bond with the dog even before I get it, and if you love a dog, a dog will love  you, and if you want a dog, a dog will want to be with you.

There is a practical part go getting a dog and an emotional part and both are important. We are entitled to get the dogs we want, we are far more likely to love them and treat them well if they are chosen carefully. To me, getting a dog in the proper way is a sacred task, and it has resulted in some wonderful dogs, as many of you know.

And I really believe this is true: I have great dogs not because I am wise or superior in any way. I believe I have wonderful dogs because I have taken some time to do it in the right way, not in minutes or on impulse or because of somebody else’s guilt trip. Hope this is useful.

Take what you need and leave the rest behind.